The Arrowhead Project
by AndrewK9000
Summary: Inspired by the short story 'The Mist.' The Ramblers are caleld to invistage a scientific enperiment gone horribly wrong. What they find goes beyond anything the team has seene before
1. Chapter 1: Proving Grounds

Greetings fellow readers and writers! You are about to read my twelfth story, can you dig it! This time around we're poking into the world of my creations, The Ramblers. This story is inspirited by the Stephen King short story, 'The Mist.' I'm sure there's a lot of people out there who agree with me when I say that Stephen King is one of the best writers of all time, along with J.K. Rowling. If I've used anything that doesn't belong to me, forgive me, I'm just a humble writer trying to tell a good story. Before we start, I should let you know that if you haven't read 'Count Olaf Must Die,' also by me, you might not understand what's going on here. If you haven't read it yet please do so, you won't be disappointed.

Okay, I'm guessing you've read it by now. And so, without further delay, please enjoy…

**The Arrowhead Project**

**By AndrewK9000**

Chapter 1: Proving Ground

The Time: Late April 2008

The Place: 600 feet below the streets of Washington D.C.

Violet Baudelaire tapped her foot anxiously as she waited outside one of the science laboratories that made up the lower level of The Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense. Having recently turned 16, Violet was one of the most brilliant people on the planet. Since joining The Bureau in September of the previous year, Violet's knack for inventing had perfected fusion power, as well as developing a new computer design that would be ready for public use next summer. Now Violet was ready to test out her latest invention. That is, assuming her brother would ever arrive.

"Where is he?" Violet asked out loud, "Of all the times for Klaus to be late, it had to be now." "Give him a chance," said Shawn Ohmsford, "He's got a lot on his mind." Shawn stood at 5'10", had brown hair, blue eyes, and was one of the more powerful telekinetic individuals alive. Being Violet's boyfriend was more than an added bonus.

"Well if Klaus doesn't show up within the next five minutes," said Virgil Blake, "We'll just have to find someone else to test out 'Sasquatch.'" Virgil Blake had short blond hair and wore wraparound sunglasses that hid his cybernetic eyes. "Don't call the GKX-101 that," said Violet, "its code name is 'Goliath.'"

The interior of the lab was a huge emptiness extending for almost half a mile, that is, empty for some complex looking computers and one large metal device. Standing before the three Meta-Humans was Violet's latest invention; a large metal structure that roughly resembled a person. It stood at 25 feet tall, 8 feet wide and 7 feet long. It had a metal cockpit, two metal arms and two metal legs with large feet for support. This was the GKX-101, a prototype for a mechanical exo-suit.

The idea for such a project came to Violet like a lot of her ideas; she sat at her desk one day at the start of March, with her long brown hair tied up with a ribbon to keep it out of her face. One minute she was sitting there, letting her imagination run free, the next she started drawing schematics. Now nearly two months later, Violet's latest invention was ready for it's first test run.

"The applications for the GKX-101 go way beyond military purposes," Violet had said during construction, "This mechanical exo-suit can be used in space for satellite repair, deep-sea research, and maybe exploration of Mars and beyond."

Throughout construction of the GKX-101, or 'Goliath' as Violet fondly referred to it, the majority of The Bureau scientists' thought it would amount to nothing. "It's like Howard Hughes 'Spruce Goose,'" they would say. "Ah," replied Violet, "But the Spruce Goose actually flew. My machine will do more than fly. Goliath will change the world, mark my words."

At last the GKX-101 was ready for testing, assuming its test pilot ever arrived. "I'll give Klaus one more minute," said Violet, "Then I'll drive it myself." "Why don't you just page him?" asked Julie Eckheart. "I did page him," said Violet, "Twice in the last half hour. He's got forty-five seconds left."

Julie Eckheart, also known as Hawkeye, was one of the best sharpshooters in the world. Her most notable features were her yellow, hawk-like eyes and a hook-shaped scar below her right eye. She and Violet had been friends since they day they first met.

Just then three men and one woman entered the room. The first was Steve Austin. Though not the smartest egg in the basket, Steve was nonetheless without fear in the heat of battle. No demon or monster can stand up to Steve's ferocious assaults with his power-pole. The second was Michael Long. Michael, a former bounty hunter, was nearly invincible with his twin energy swords.

The woman was Fay Valentine. She had brown hair with blue streaks and dark brown eyes. At 5'6". Fay looked twenty-one but was actually nearly 24. Also known as 'The Butcher of Boston,' Fay was nearly unstoppable with her knifes. There was once a time when Fay was completely out of control. But thanks to Jill Sparrow, Violet's foster mother, Fay's mind was saved from itself.

The third man wasn't a man, yet. Rather, he was Violet's fourteen-year-old brother Klaus. Klaus was at that stage in human development when one is growing faster than their sense of balance could keep up. As a result Klaus was clumsier than he was a year ago. Yet he still insisted that he should be the one to test out Violet's inventions.

"Where have you been?" asked Violet, "I was just about to pilot Goliath myself." "I'm sorry, Violet," said Klaus in a voice that was just starting to deepen, making him sound more embarrassed than he really was, "I was really into this book on Zombie destruction tactics." Whereas Violet's talent lay in inventing, Klaus had the rare ability to remember every word he read. If Klaus were to hand you a book he just read, or any book he read, and you were to open said book to a random page and tell him the page, he could tell you word for word the contents of that page.

"Well he's here now," said Michael, "So let's get this party started." "Just hold on a second," said Steve. He pulled out from his pocket a digital video camera and began recording, "Okay, now you can start."

"Why are you recording this?" asked Shawn, "We've got plenty of cameras on the machine for data recoding." "I know," said Steve, "I just want this for my personal collection."

"You're just expecting 'Sasquatch' to mess up," said Virgil. "So are you," retorted Steve. "It won't mess up," said Violet, "And it's called Goliath."

"Well whatever you're calling your device," said Jill Sparrow as she entered the lab, "We should all try to support you. You did put a lot of effort into the construction of it." A native of London England, Jill Sparrow was an extremely attractive with her raven-black hair and blue eyes. Yet underneath her good looks and friendly attitude was a mighty warrior of tremendous passion that sought an outlet. Jill's had three passions in her life: Surfing, fencing and defending the human race from paranormal threats. Correction; four passions. The fourth is her desire to see that her foster-children; Violet, Klaus and their baby-sister Sunny, have happy and somewhat normal lives.

All that changed when it was determined that Violet, Klaus and Sunny were Meta-Humans. Whereas the talents of Violet and Klaus were known, it was still unsure whether Sunny's power would be one of the mind or of the body.

"I'm ready here," said Klaus, "Let's get this party started." He started towards the GKX-101 and then tripped for no apparent reason. Like I said, Klaus was at that clumsy stage in life.

Violet didn't see this as a good sign, yet Klaus wasn't deterred from the task ahead of him. "I'm alright," said Klaus as he stood up and regained his composure, "I meant to do that." "Sure you did," said Steve, who then muttered to himself, "Glad I got that on video."

Klaus eventually made it up the scaffolding and into the cockpit of the GKX-101. Making sure that he was firmly strapped in his seat, he secured a small headset to his ear. "Com system check," said Klaus to the radio, "Am I coming in clear?"

"Loud and crystal," said Violet on the other end of the radio. She and the others were watching from the other end of the lab where the cameras were rolling and recording. She then activated the scanners that would record all incoming data from the machine, as well as Klaus's vital signs.

"Okay little brother," said Violet, "You have the green light. Activate the GKX-101." With that Klaus pressed the 'on' button, bringing Goliath to life. The control pannel in front of him lit up like a Christmas tree.

"All motor functions are online," said Klaus. "We read the same over here," said Violet, "Advance twenty yards and stop." Klaus's hands gripped the controls and increased the throttle. With a shudder the huge machine began to walk. After the machine moved sixty feet forward Klaus eased back on the controls and the machine stopped.

"So far so good," said Violet, "Advance another thirty yards, turn ninety degrees to the right and advance another ten yards." Klaus manipulated the controls again, causing the machine to walk forward again. After another sixty feet it stopped. Klaus then turned the controls to the right, causing the machine to turn right and to start walking again. It stopped after another thirty feet.

"Now turn to the left and advance thirty yards," said Violet. The controls responded to Klaus's command and the machine did as Violet asked it to do. "Rotate the cockpit 360 degrees to the left," said Violet. The head section of the GKX-101 rotated a full circle to the left. "Now to the right," said Violet, and the head rotated to the right.

"Reverse gears and come back thirty yards," said Violet. The machine then walked backwards for ninety feet. "Now bring it back and we'll be done here," said Violet. Klaus then brought the machine back to it's starting point, where he powered it down and exited the cockpit.

"That was excellent!" exclaimed Violet as she rushed forward to her brother. "Well what do you know," said Steve, "It actually works." "This was just the first test," said Virgil, "Just wait until the more rough trials." "Oh well," said Steve, "At least I got Klaus on tape tripping; I'll save it for a blooper real."

Meanwhile Violet and Jill were taking turns shaking hands with Klaus. "You did it," said Klaus, "Your newest invention is a winner." "No," said Violet, "We did it." "You both did it," said Jill, "Now we celebrate."

As Jill and her charges headed for the lab exit, Klaus then tripped again and landed on his backside. "How embarrassing," said Virgil, "Did you get that on take as well?" "I sure did," said a grinning Steve, "That was pure gold."

Just then another man entered the lab; Max Kildare. Max, age 25 from Baltimore, had short brown hair and brown eyes. Being one of the most physically powerful individuals on the planet, Max carries the burden as leader of The Ramblers. "I'd save the celebrations for later," said Max, "We've got a situation up in Maine."

"What kind of situation in Maine?" asked Fay. Being from Maine her concern was natural. "Some kind of scientific experiment gone horribly wrong," said Max, "Something that involves a huge wall of mist extending for miles across the wilds of New England. The team is assembling in the administration level. Briefing is in ten minutes."

The end of chapter 1. Next chapter we find out just WTF is going on in Maine that has attracted the attention of The Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense. Rewards will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you next time!


	2. Chapter 2: New Mission

Last time we watched as Violet's new invention, the GKX-101, was tested by Klaus, A test that was successful. Yet the celebrations were cut short when Max came in, saying that something terrible has happened up in Maine. On with the show!

Chapter 2: New Mission

Upon entering the briefing room, Violet saw that most of the team was already assembled. Along with Shawn, Steve, Virgil, Fay, Julie, Michael, Jill and Max, there was also Leon Smyth-Falcon a.k.a. 'Cajun Man,' a voodoo expert from New Orleans; Simon 'D.P.' Brotonoononowluski, with his metal arm; Laura Hurst, quite possibly the most powerful telekinetic individual on the planet; Tyler Spartan a.k.a 'Alloy,' a genius with metal and electronics who built his own suit of armor in the tradition of 'Iron Man.'

"Are we waiting for anyone else?" asked Laura as she brushed her blond and blue hair from her eyes. "My brother Aaron is at a medical conference in Albany," said Tyler, "So he should be back sometime tomorrow." Aaron Spartan was a brilliant doctor in all fields of medicine.

"And Maria is missing as usual," said Max, "And I've just about had enough of it." Maria Van Helsing was an exorcist from Germany who had a bad habit of showing up several days overdue.

"I've had enough of Maria being late as well," said Leon, "When Director Walker get here I'm gonna ask her to have Maria kicked out of The Bureau. This has gone on long enough."

"It still seems hard to believe," said Fay, "That 'Diamond Dave' was a drug addict, the guy was always in top form." "And of all the people to replace him as head of The Bureau," said Jill, "Who would of thought that it'd be Patty Walker."

Four weeks earlier David Callahan, head of operations for The Bureau, was pulled over for a broken taillight. The officer then smelled Marijuana smoke. Not only did Callahan have several joints in his possession, he also had at least a kilo of the stuff in the trunk of his car. Callahan was charged with possession of an illegal substance, with intent to sell. In order to save face with his superiors on Capital Hill, Callahan resigned from The Bureau.

Callahan was replaced by Patricia 'Patty' Walker. Patricia, age 29 from Atlanta, was a Meta-Human like Max and Jill. Only, she wasn't part of a team, Patricia preferred to work alone. Her ability allowed her to amplify her voice to stone-shattering levels.

It was at that time that Patricia entered the briefing room. At first glance, Patricia didn't look remotely like anyone who dealt in saving the world from things that go bump in the night. She stood at 5'6", had shoulder length brown hair and dark orange eyes. Yet when she smiled, like just now as she sat down at the head of the table, you couldn't help but like her.

"Okay," said Patricia in a medium southern accent that reminded everyone of her Georgian background, "Let's get this party started. Eleven hours ago all communications with a research laboratory up in Maine were lost. Almost immediately after that, reports from weather services spoke of this huge fog bank that seemed to materiel out of nowhere, a fog bank that seems to keep growing."

"We assume that the communications blackout with the lab and the sudden appearance of the fog bank are related," said Leon, "But that's only the tip of the iceberg. Several people have gone into the fog bank to reach the lab. Only a handful has come out alive and only a fistful of them are still sane. Those still able to make sense of what they say speak of terrifying monsters in the mist. It's logical to assume that whatever happened at that lab is the source of both the mist and the monsters."

"When you say that only a fistful are still sane," said Michael, "What happened to those who aren't sane?" "We're not entirely sure," said Leon, "Something must have really messed up their minds. They kept jabbering and spouting nonsense until they died. The cause of death is as of yet unknown."

"Just what was going on in that laboratory anyway?" asked Julie. "They are," sad Max, "Or were, working on government funded project called 'Arrowhead.' It was started back in the late 80's as a theoretical means of viewing parallel realities."

"Like what I was doing with my prototype for a dimensional gateway a few months back," said Violet, "The one I destroyed when we learned that dimensional travel through such gateways were weakening the fabric of reality, causing time/space distortions."

"More or less," said Patricia, "The project was put on hold after 9/11 when funds were being directed towards national security." "So why did they start again if the money was going elsewhere?" asked Tyler.

"It was me," said Violet, "After we got back from helping The Guardians and The Black Swordsman, I destroyed my dimensional gateway, as well as all data on the device. Yet I published my finds on how the gateway affected reality. The scientists responsible for Arrowhead read my report; they must have figured out something I missed."

"That's what we believe," said Patricia, "Exactly two weeks ago Arrowhead was started up again with full financial support from the government. There was very little to report from then up until twelve hours ago. A message from the lab stated that they had succeeded in creating a stable opening into a parallel Earth, one that had little if no affect on the fabric of reality. Then all went silent and the mist appeared."

"Our mission," said Max, "Is to head up to Maine, go into the mist, head to the lab and find out what happened there." "And if we run into any monsters along the way," said Fay. "We kill the bastards!" finished Steve. "More or less," said Jill, "We leave for Maine in one hour."

The end of chapter 2. Next chapter our heroes prepare themselves for the unknown horrors that wait for them in the mist. Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you next time!


	3. Chapter 3: Weapons Check

Last time our heroes, The Ramblers, were briefed on their next mission. Apparently something horribly wrong has occurred at a research lab in Maine, something that is linked to a mysterious mist that conceals monsters and madness. On with the show!

Chapter 3: Weapons Check

Our heroes had boarded a special jet that had them up at Portland, Maine in just under an hour. From there they got on a C-130 Hercules transport plane, where we see them now. "Next stop is the observation post where local and state authorities have been briefed on the situation," said Max, "or as much as they need to know. We should be there in fifteen minutes."

"Perfect," said Virgil, "I can use the time to pass out our new weapons." Near the rear of the plane were several plastic cargo containers. Virgil opened one to reveal several pistols that would looked to have come from the original series of Star Trek©, only these were steel gray with blue grips.

"Behold!' said Virgil as he held up one of the pistols, "Straight from the boys out in Area 51, Nevada, I give you, the THEW-9 Phase Pistol! The THEW stands for Tactical High Energy Weapon."

"What does the 9 mean?" asked Michael as Virgil passed out the pistols. "They went through eight other designs before they got all the kinks worked out," said Violet, "This one, model 9, is the one that really works."

"And it does work," said Virgil, "It has two settings; stun and kill so don't get them mixed up." Each pistol had three buttons; Blue for stun, Red for kill and Green for safety. Steve pressed the red button on his pistol and aimed at the empty cargo container. He pulled the trigger and a red energy beam shot at the container, blowing a two-foot wide hole in it. "Well we know that kill works," said Steve.

"Moving on," said Virgil in a slightly annoyed tone, he then opened the second container and retried a sophisticated looking riffle; "Here we have the THEW-M-18, the riffle that will replace the M-16."

"Bull sh$t," said D.P., "Nothing's gonna replace the M-16, it's the best assault riffle in the world, better than the AK-47." "Can the M-16 fire a high-powered energy beam that can melt through ten feet of solid rock in 6 seconds?" asked Virgil, "I think not. The M-18 has an adjustable power setting that can simply burn to completely disintegrate"

Julie took one of the riffles and tested its weight in her hands. Finding the power setting, she set it to low and aimed at the empty cargo container. Taking her time, she took a deep breath, let out half of it and fired. A red bolt of energy blasted off the top hinge of the container. "Groovy," said Julie, "But I feel more comfortable with my Winchester."

"Well if you don't want them," said Virgil, "We'll just throw them out the hatch!" He roughly collected the pistols and threw them into the assaulted cargo container, "I break my balls convincing those Turbo Nerds at Area 51 to let us have these weapons when every branch of the military is screaming to have them, and this is the thanks I get! Out-f#ck$ng-standing!"

"Just calm down, Virgil," said Jill, "The last thing we want is you to get upset." "Don't sh$t with me, Jill!" snapped Virgil, "I know what happens when I get too mad! You're all hoping I'll blow out my eyes again, so you won't have to deal with me!"

"Somebody's got to do something before he really blows his top," said Max. "I got an idea," said Fay, "I'll probably regret it in the morning, but it might just work." She stood up and walked over to Virgil. She whispered something into his hear, which seemed to calm him down somewhat.

"You mean it?" asked Virgil, "This isn't a joke or something?" "Let me show you how sincere I am," said Fay. She then kissed him on the lips. This caused Virgil to blush four shades red and then fell to the floor as if his legs had suddenly turned to Jell-O.

"What did you say to him?" asked Violet. "I told Virgil," said Fay, "That if he were to calm down, and if we were to both survive this mission, I'd rock his world once we got back to D.C." "Way to take one for the team," said Laura. Julie seemed to glare at Fly with a mixture of anger and, possibly, wanting.

"If you're so worried," said Fay to Julie, "He'll never lay a finger on me. That kiss was more than a kiss. I hit him with knockout lipstick. He'll wake up in a minute or so with no memory of what I said or did."

Indeed Virgil soon woke up with no memory of the past few minutes. "What happened?" he asked, "I was explaining our new weapons, now I'm on the floor." "You blacked out form lack of oxygen," said Fay, "It's nothing to worry about, go back so sleep."

Seven minutes later our heroes landed at a hastily prepared airfield fifty miles from the nearest town. "Ah!" exclaimed Fay as she and the others exited the plane, "Just breath that fresh New England air. Just look around you, hundreds upon hundreds of miles of unspoiled wilderness and trees. If I were a religious person, I'd say this was God's country."

"If this is God's country," said Shawn, "Then that must belong to the devil." In front of our heroes were several army style tents and a large satellite dish. Hurrying about the camp were several soldiers and scientists, but that's not what grabbed Shawn's attention. Four hundred yards beyond the camp was a wall of fog at least 200 feet high and extending in each direction for miles.

"Holly sh$t on a shingle!" said Michael. "You can say that again," said D.P. "Cut the chatter, people," said Max, "We've got work to do. Okay, here's the game plan: Leon, Steve, Julie, D.P., Fay, Shawn, Michael and I will go into the mist and try to reach the research lab. Jill, Laura, Virgil, Tyler and Violet will stay behind as backup incase we run into any really, really, really nasty demons or whatever's in there."

"Mind if I tag along," said a female voice. There stood a girl of about 23 years old with shoulder length dark brown hair and bluish green eyes. In her hands was a pump-action shotgun. Strapped to each leg was a double-barrel sawed-off shotgun. "Shotgun Sally reporting for duty," said Sally-Ann Carpenter eagerly.

"Who invited you?" asked Julie in a tone that spoke of disgust and dislike. Julie and Sally-Ann have had a long-standing feud over stolen boyfriends. "I did," said Leon, "I figured it was time Miss Carpenter joined us on a proper mission, one that would benefit the rest of the world."

"Yeah right," said Michael, "I've known Sally-Ann for a long time and she has never done anything that hasn't added to her purse. So how much are you getting out of this job, Sally-Ann?" Sally-Ann was, is a bounty hunter and has worked with Michael on several occasions.

"Not that it's any of your business," said Sally-Ann, "but The Bureau has graciously promised me $750,000 should my services prove useful, and I have never failed to live up to my end of a bargain." "Well I hope you can be useful," said Julie, "Because I'm not working with you, she can have my spot."

"For f#ck's sake, woman," said Steve, "You settled your dispute months ago." "I don't give a sh$t," said Julie, "I won't work with that whore!" "Well good!" shouted Sally-Ann, "I don't particularly want to work with you, you ugly, scarred bitch!"

"ENOUGH!" shouted Max, "I said it before and I'll say it again, 'If you want to kill each other, do it on your own f#ck$ng time. The mission comes first.' Sally-Ann, you want to help, you can stay with Jill and the others on backup. I need Julie with me. Is that satisfactory?"

"Yes," said Julie. "Affirmative," said Sally-Ann. The two women glared at each other before heading to their respective groups.

"That went well," said D.P. in a sarcastic tone. "I shouldn't have let her get to me," said Julie, "But that Sally-Ann makes me so mad, I could just kill someone!" "Just don't kill me," said Shawn.

"She did bring up a point," said Leon, "About your scar, just how did you come about it?" "Yeah," said Steve, "Just how did you get that beauty mark? Licking carpet?"

"Do you honestly think a girl like me could get a scar like this licking carpet?" asked Julie as she ran her finger across her scar, "No, I got this when I was nine as a result of a faulty propane tank and a ill-timed baseball throw. I was at a family bar-b-q; my dad had just put on another round of burgers and had walked away from the grill for a minute when my second cousin once removed tossed a baseball to my third cousin twice removed, or was it the other way around?

"Anyway, the ball hit the gas tank, cracked it and before you could whistle Dixie the gas exploded. A small piece of tank shrapnel sliced my face open. I got twenty stitches, but I felt lucky; an inch higher and I would have lost my eye."

"What happened to your cousin who threw the ball?" asked Fay. "He got such a spanking he couldn't sit down for a month," said Julie, "Then he got grounded for a whole year."

"As much as we all love to hear your life story, Julie," said Max, "We've got a job to do. Anyone who wants out, now's the time, nothing bad will be said against you."

"I'm not backing out," said Steve, "But I've got a question; why are we walking to the lab? Couldn't we drive or take a chopper?" "There's a very good explanation to that," said Jill, "Every time someone tried to take an automobile inside the mist, the engine failed after only ten yards inside the mist. For some reason cars won't work in there. That, Steve, is why we're walking."

"Anyone else got questions?" asked Max. There was half a minute of silence before he spoke again, "Okay then; let's do it!" With that our heroes donned special haz-mat suits (also from Area 51) as well as multi-spectrum goggles so they could see in the mist. Their weapons ready, their protective gear secured, our heroes walked into the unknown.

The end of chapter 3. Next chapter our heroes encounter more than the unexpected inside the mist. Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie!


	4. Chapter 4: Hell On Earth

Last time our heroes received new weapons from Area 51. They're gonna need them since they're about to go into the mysterious mist. Meanwhile, bounty hunter Sally-Ann Carpenter showed up, volunteering for the mission. Julie later revealed how she got her scar. Our heroes have to walk to the lab, due to the strange fact hat cars don't work inside the mist. On with the show!

Chapter 4: Hell On Earth

The first hundred yards into the mist was uneventful, at least to Steve. "I don't see what's all the fuss about," said Steve over the haz-mat suits, "It's just a really, really big fog bank."

"Try activating your goggles," said Julie, "You might think differently." Steve then hit the 'on' button for his goggles, "Holy sh$t!" he exclaimed, "What the f#ck is happening here?"

Viewed through an infrared filter the world around Steve was a twisted mockery of reality. All the trees were shriveled like raisins and had foul smelling leaves. The grass, normally green, was in various shades of purple.

"F#ck me running!" exclaimed Michael. He had a video camera with him and was transmitting data to the observation post outside the mist. "Virgil," said Michael to his radio, "Are you getting this?"

Back outside the mist Virgil was indeed receiving the data through his laptop. "You better f#ck$ng believe I'm getting it," said Virgil, "It's amazing. It looks like, and I hope I'm wrong this time, that the mist is what's causing the plants to mutate. Have you encountered any animals yet?"

"Nothing moving," said Max, "But plenty of dead squirrels and lower mammals." He was bent over the remains of what was a squirrel that was at least twice the size of a normal squirrel with an extra set of arms. Multiple rips and abrasions covered the body.

"I've got a question, Virgil," said Violet, "If the mist is capable for altering the DNA of plants and lower animals, what will it do to people?" "It's quite possible that the fog will have the same effect on humans," said Virgil, "Just how will it alter human DNA, we'll just have to wait until we find someone exposed to the mist long enough."

"Wait a minute!" said Fay, "Wait one damn minute here! You're saying that this sh$t we're walking into can mutate us?" "We're already mutated, Fay," said D.P., "That's why we're called Mutants."

"Number one, D.P.," said Max, "I don't ever want to hear you say that word again. Second, we wouldn't have gone into the mist without taking every precaution for our safety. Right, Virgil?"

Virgil hesitated in answering. "What's wrong, Virgil?" asked Jill, "We did take every precaution beforehand, didn't we?" "Give me a second," said Virgil, "I'm thinking. Okay, Max, your haz-mat suits should protect you from the mutating effects of the mist. I don't know for sure how long, I'll need more data about the mist and it's origin. But I estimate that you have at least twelve hours before anything serious happens to your bodies."

"Twelve hours," said Max, "And the lab is ten miles from here. So let's move it people!" With that our heroes started jogging for the lab. Being the meta-humans they are, Max and his teammates could run for several hours without getting exhausted.

After eight miles they stopped to get their bearings. "I say we're just under two miles to the lab," said Leon as he checked over with Virgil over the radio. "That's about right," replied Virgil, "Just turn a little to the east and you'll be there in no time."

"Wait!" said Fay, "I hear something, something that's not human." They assumed a defensive position with their backs to each other so whatever was out there couldn't sneak up on them.

Michael had a proximity scanner and was checking for what Fay had heard. "I'm picking up something," said Michael, "I don't know what it is, but it's less than a hundred yards away and heading for us."

"I don't see anything," said Max, "Where is it coming from? Who's facing it?" "Julie is," said Michael as he checked the scanner, "It's heading straight for her, now less than eighty yards. Whatever it is, it's moving fast."

"Julie," said Shawn, "Can you see it?" "No," said Julie, "I'm not seeing anything coming at me. That scanner's a piece of crap if you ask me."

"There's nothing wrong with the scanner," said Michael, "It's out there and coming right for Julie, sixty yards and closing." Despite Michael's warning, our heroes still couldn't see whatever it was.

"Okay, I'm starting to freak out here," said Julie, "I can't see it! Where is it?" "It's right in front of you!" exclaimed Michael, "Forty yards and closing fast! Now twenty yards! Fifteen! Ten! Five! Julie it's right in your face!!"

"I don't see sh$t!" shouted Julie just before something grabbed her by the legs and dragged her further into the mist, "Help!" she exclaimed in terror, "Something's got me!"

Quick as lightning Fay ran after Julie, her knifes ready to slice up whatever had grabbed her teammate. "What's happening!" exclaimed Shawn, "These multi-spectrum goggles aren't worth their weight in doughnuts!"

Suddenly there was a sharp sound in the air, like a sharp knife slicking through really tough meat several times, followed by a ear-piercing inhuman howl of agony. There then followed a minute or two of silence before Julie and Fay walked back to our heroes.

"It's alright," said Fay, "I got it, whatever the f#ck it was." She tossed something to Max, something long, slimy and fir covered. "It's a tentacle," said Max, "A tentacle with fir."

"It was attacked to this thing that looked like a huge bear," said Julie, "Or something that was a bear. It was over twenty feet tall at the shoulder and had over a dozen tentacles growing out of it's back. We didn't see it coming because it's tentacles could extend and retract. The tentacle that grabbed me was moving on the ground."

"And we weren't looking at the ground," said Max, "Well now we've learned something. From now on we watch where we step."

They continued towards the lab at a now more cautious pace. Yet they made good time in reaching the lab. The building looked like an ordinary business warehouse from the outside. Around the lab was a ten-foot high chain fence that had several large gaps in it.

It was then that our heroes made contact with living humans inside the mist, assuming one could still call what they saw human, but we'll get to those in a minute. Max and the others saw several dead bodies on their way to the lab. These had a mixture of physical mutations. Some were in the process of growing extra arms and legs. Others had tentacles and insect-like appendages growing out of their backs. A few had sprouted horns and extra eyes on stalks.

The humans that they found alive also had physical mutations, but what was truly disturbing was their behavior; complete madness. All attempts at communication with the 'survivors' were met with howls of rage and insanity, followed by homicidal lunges at our heroes. Max and the others were forced to kill the poor wretches; Max would later justify the slayings as acts mercy.

They made their way inside the lab building, only to find bloodstained walls and carpet. Broken machinery and shredded paper lay strewed among the blood pools and dead bodies. Every now and then they would come across a live one, only to put the poor, insane creature out of its misery.

"This is just plain f#ck$ng nuts," said D.P., "What the hell happened here that could do this?" "I don't know," said Max, "But we'll find out soon enough. We're almost at the test room where they made the opening to the parallel Earth. We'll get our answers there."

After maneuvering down several corridors and flights of stairs our heroes entered a large room filled tones of scientific equipment in various states of destruction. "Those crazies really trashed the place," said Steve.

"I think I've located the source of the mist," said D.P. "What makes you so sure?" asked Shawn. "First of all," said D.P., "The fog is thicker in here than it is outside or anywhere else. Second, it's coming from that."

In front of our heroes were four large metal pylons that were humming and pulsating with red energy. Red static bolts were arcing between the pylons and connecting with what could only be described as a rip in the fabric of reality from which the mist was pouring into the world. The rip was in the shape of a sphere over twenty feet in diameter.

"Okay," said Shawn, "We've found the source of the mist. So how do we stop it?" "The rift is being maintained by those pylons," said Julie, "So why don't we just cut the power to them?"

"I wouldn't do that," said Virgil over the radio, "You don't know what kind of effect will happen if the pylons were suddenly deprived of energy." "I agree," said Max, "Jill, you and Virgil get suited up and get over here pronto."

"Or we could save time and money," said Michael, who was standing net to a large wall panel full of circuit breakers, "By switching to Geico©. 'Fifteen minutes can save you fifteen percent or more on your car insurance.'" He then raised his hand to the switch marked 'pylons'.

"No! Michael!" exclaimed Max. "Yes, Max," said Michael as he threw the switch into the off position. The pylons stopped humming and the red energy dissipated. The rift began to shrink and the fog began to clear.

"See," said Michael, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained." "I'll gain you!" exclaimed Steve, "You could have gotten us all killed, and for once it wouldn't have been my fault! Oh wait, that's a good thing. Good job, Michael."

"Well despite your good fortune, Michael," said Max, "You shouldn't have done that. But still, it does seem to be clearing up in here."

"It's clearing up out here as well," said Virgil over the radio, "The mist is dissipating at an exponential rate. It should be completely cleared within the hour. But right now I'm reading that the mist has cleared enough in your area, making the air safe for breathing."

Without any further hesitation Max and the others removed their helmets and breathed in the air. It reeked of blood and death but it wasn't mutating air.

"Mission accomplished," said Fay, "Let's go home. "Couldn't agree more," said Julie, "Oh, Fay, I meant to tell you this earlier, but thanks for saving me from that bear/squid thing." "My pleasure," said Fay.

"I hate to spoil the mood," said Steve, "But that rip in the universe, it's still here." True enough the rift, though in a smaller size, was still hanging in mid air.

The end of chapter 4. Next chapter the brains of the group examine the rip in reality and discover something shocking. Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you next time!


	5. Chapter 5: The Rift

Last time our heroes entered the mist. En route to the lab Max and the others encountered various mutations, mutations that were created by the mist. One of said mutations tried to kill Julie, who was saved by Fay and her knives. After making it to the lab our heroes discovered a rift in the fabric of reality from which the mist was pouring in from. Michael stopped the mist by simply deactivating the device powering the rift, yet the tear in reality still remains. On with the show!

Chapter 5: The Rift

"It's all my fault," said Violet as she and the other Ramblers drove to the lab. With the dissipation of the mist it was safe to drive in the area again. "What's all your fault?" asked Jill. "It was my report that allowed the rift to be created," said Violet, "And with it the mist. I mean, look at this mess we're driving through."

Jill looked out the car window and saw the effect the mist had on the landscape, as well as several small pools of black slime. Apparently the mutated animals and people couldn't survive when the mist faded. As soon as the air cleared they creatures simply died.

"I see it," said Jill, "And I say it isn't your fault. You had no idea your report could have lead to this." "I still should have kept my mouth shut," said Violet, "Who knows when the environment mutated by the mist will recover, or if it will recover. And just how many people died because of the mist anyway? I ask you."

"Initial reports are calling the body count at 37," said Aaron, "Which can and may increase." "You see!" said Violet, "My report on dimensional travel got at least 37 people killed!"

It was then that Jill did something drastic, something that would be viewed as child abuse, but that's not the case today. She slapped Violet across the cheek to get her to calm down. "Snap out of it!" exclaimed Jill, "What happened here wasn't your fault! You had no control over the scientist at the facility and you had no idea what the mist could do. So don't go blaming yourself for things you had no control over!"

"You're right," said Violet, "I shouldn't be blaming myself." "And I'm sorry for hitting you," said Jill, "You we're getting hysterical. And when you're a Rambler, the last thing you want to get is hysterical."

Eventually they made it to the lab. Virgil was already there examining the rift, which had stabilized somewhat. It was now just over seven feet high and five feet wide. "To think," said Virgil as he walked around the rift, "This hole in reality started as just a way to look into other universes. This rift was the size of a quarter this time yesterday."

"It just goes to show you," said Tyler, "What science can do when it's allowed to roam uncontrolled." "What 'cho talking 'bout, Tyler?" asked Steve.

"I'm saying that we need better control over science," said Tyler, "I'm not dissing progress, but remember what happened to the Krell. They delved into dimensional travel and paid the price with extinction. We need to keep a leash on technology or else we'll end up with more incidents like what happened here or worse."

"What can possibly be worse than mist from another dimension that mutates everything it touches?" asked Julie. "Robots that kill people for instance," said D.P.

"Genetically engendered super-humans," said Laura. "Cyborgs," said Michael. "You people are addicted to science fiction," said Leon.

It was then that Virgil's laptop started beeping. He checked the intergraded scanners and gasped in surprise, "There's a radio transmission coming through the rift!" "What!?" exclaimed everyone. "Yes!" said Virgil eagerly, "several transmissions in fact. Just give me a second to sort them all out."

Several seconds keystrokes later Virgil announced, "I've got at least five signals on different frequencies; one's in English, one in French, one in Spanish and one in Chinese. They're all the same automated S.O.S. calling for help. The last one's the real zinger; it's on a Bureau frequency, saying the same thing over and over; agent in distress."

"Is it possible that the parallel Earth on the other side of the rift has it's own Bureau?" asked Julie. "More than possible," said Violet, "The parallel Earth may be more like our Earth then we realize."

"Well whatever the similarities between Earths aside," said Max, "If there's an agent in trouble, then it's our duty to help." "Great," said Steve, "First mutating fog, now we're hopping realities."

Two hours later our heroes were ready to enter the rift. This time Max, Jill, Laura, D.P., Tyler, Aaron, Steve and Michael would go first, with Leon, Violet and the others behind them.

"By my calculations," said Virgil, "The source of the transmissions is about five miles due west from the other side of the rift." "Then we've no time to lose," said Jill, "Let's go!" With that Max, Jill, Laura, D.P., Tyler, Aaron, Steve and Michael suited up their haz-mat suits and entered the rift.

The end of chapter 5. Next chapter our heroes encounter horrors beyond horror. Sorry if that sounded lame. Anyway, reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you next time!


	6. Chapter 6: Another Hell On Another Earth

Last time Virgil made a discovery almost too fantastic to believe. Someone on the other side of the rift is calling for help, on a Bureau frequency. Our heroes got ready and headed into the rift to help out whoever was calling for help. On with the show!

Chapter 6: Another Hell On Another Earth

The transition from their Earth to the parallel Earth was barely noticeable for Max, Jill, Laura, D.P., Tyler, Aaron, Steve and Michael as the stepped through the rift. What really shocked them was what they saw on the other side. They had arrived in what was once a huge city, once that is. As far as Max and the others could see in the mist were ruined building covered by black vines and weeds.

"F#ck me running!" said D.P., "What happened here?" "The same thing that could have happened on our Earth," said Aaron, "If we didn't stop the mist. If I were a gambling man, I'd say the mist is everywhere on this world."

"And the whole planet must be full of homicidal mutations," said Max, "Everyone stay sharp! We may have to fight soon!" Using a portable scanner given to them by Virgil, they homed in on the distress signal. "I've got a fix on the S.O.S.," said Jill, "This way."

They continued into the ruined city, ever alert for anything moving. Yet there wasn't anything to be alerted of, the city seemed to be empty. "This isn't right," said Tyler, "Where are all the people? I know that something terrible must have happened here, but there should be some survivors to be broadcasting the signal."

"It's an automated S.O.S., Tyler," said Michael, "For all we know we're chasing ghosts." "You underestimate people as a species," said Aaron, "Human beings have a habit of adapting to whatever is thrown at them. I'm sure that there are a few people alive on this god-forsaken rock of a planet. All we have to do is find them."

"Easer said than done," said Laura. They continued to home in on the source of the transmission. "The signal's getting stronger," said Michael, "We're almost there, another two miles at the most."

Suddenly their motion sensors started to beep. "We've got company!" said Max, "Everyone look sharp! And keep at least one eye on the ground!"

Before Max and the others could react they found themselves surrounded by various animal and human mutations. There were animals with extra limbs or more than one head; species crossovers that would be impossible under the laws of nature; deranged humans who had lost their humanity, just to name a few.

"Ever been in a situation," said Michael as the mutations closed in for the kill, "Where you were certain you were about to die?" "We're all certain to die," said Max, "It's only a matter of when, where and how."

"I may not have a choice in the when and where," said Steve, "But I won't let these f#ck#rs decide how I'm gonna die!" He released the safety on his M-18 and began blasting the oncoming monstrosities. Max and the others followed suit, while Laura blasted away with her mind.

Dozens of mutations dies in the first few seconds, with more and more coming to the slaughter. Max and the others were doing the slaughtering, yet there seemed to be no end of the encroaching horrors.

"There's no end to them!" exclaimed D.P. as the power cell in his M-18 died. He quickly removed the spent battery and clicked in a fresh one. Michael had abandoned his M-18 in favor of his energy blades. Tyler had activated his battle armor and was blasting away with a mix of lasers, machine guns and rocket launchers.

"I'm starting to think it was a bad idea coming here!" said Jill as she alternated between blasting with her THEW-9 Phase Pistol and stabbing with her family cutlass. "I'm starting to agree with you," said Max as he tore a three eyed, six limbed wolf in half.

"Then why are we still here?" asked Steve as he bashed away with his power pole, "Let's get the f#ck out of her while we can!" "That's the smartest thing I've ever heard you say," said Laura. Yet our heroes found themselves trapped by the seemingly endless hoards of mutations.

"This isn't how I expected it to end," said Aaron, "I had hoped to find a nice girl, settle down and have a few rugrats." "Uh, Aaron," said Tyler, "They're gone." Indeed the mutations had retreated, due to a sudden bright light above our heroes.

"Who tossed the flare?" asked Jill. "We did." At least a dozen men and women appeared from behind various piles of rubble. They were wearing gasmasks on their heads and tattered tan jackets. On their left sleeves was a crest of sorts: A bronze hand grasping a silver sword inside a gold circle.

"You people are Bureau agents?" asked Max. "What do you know about The Bureau?" asked one of the obviously sane natives.

"In the absence of light," said Jill, "Darkness prevails." "They're Bureau people alright," said one of the locals.

"We didn't think anyone would hear our multi-dimensional S.O.S.," said a female native, "We had begun to lose what little hope we had left." "We probably wouldn't have picked up your signal," said Max, "If it weren't for the rift to our world."

"What rift?" asked a fourth native. "This hole in the fabric of reality," said Laura, "Some scientists on our Earth made a small hole and it got really big by accident. Then the mist poured in."

"Oh we know all about the mist," said a second female, "And what it does to the environment, animals and people without protective gear. But we'll talk about that later. There's some people who'll be extremely happy to see you."

"We'll have to check back with our people on our world," said Michael. "You can check with your people on the way to our base," said the first survivor, "The mutations are easily frightened by bright lights, but they usually come back soon, and in greater numbers."

Max and the others followed the survivors to what at first appeared to be an anonymous pile of rubble. It turned out to be a hologram concealing a heavy metal door in the ground. Our heroes followed the survivors down a flight of stairs to a second set of metal doors. On the other side was another set of doors, this one guarded by men in gasmasks and armed with high-powered machine guns.

Past the guards was another set of doors, which lead to a complicated airlock, also guarded. "We designed this airlock to keep the mist out," said one of the survivors, "Or at least as best as we can. A little gets in though, we've had to put a few people down who went crazy."

"How many people are here?" asked Jill as they entered the airlock, which was large enough to accommodate everyone there comfortably. "Including us twelve," said one of the survivors, "87 Bureau agents and 152 civilians and 44 children, making the total 283."

"And in other bases on the planet," said Max, "How many are left there?" "None," said one of the survivors, "We're the only humans left on the planet."

"Impossible!" exclaimed Aaron, "The human population on our world is well over six-billion, over three-hundred million in America alone! There must be other survivors." "There isn't," said one of the female native agents, "On this Earth, humans are all but extinct."

The end of chapter 6. Next chapter we meet the leader of the survivors and hear their plan. Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you next time!


	7. Chapter 7: Humanity's End

Last time our heroes entered the parallel Earth, only to find the entire planet overrun by the mist and mutations. Several surviving humans saved Max and the others from the mutations. They were lead tot the survivor's base, only to discover that there were less than three hundred humans left on the planet. On with the show!

Chapter 7: Humanity's End

"How many people are here?" asked Jill as they entered the airlock, which was large enough to accommodate everyone there comfortably. "Including us twelve," said one of the survivors, "87 Bureau agents and 152 civilians and 44 children, making the total 283."

"And in other bases on the planet," said Max, "How many are left there?" "None," said one of the survivors, "We're the only humans left on the planet."

"Impossible!" exclaimed Aaron, "The human population on our world is well over six-billion, over three-hundred million in America alone! There must be other survivors." "There isn't," said one of the female native agents, "On this Earth, humans are all but extinct."

After clearing the airlock, Max and the others were shown to the interior of the survivors base. It resembled Bureau headquarters somewhat: Research labs, weapons lockers, medical areas, dorms, storage rooms, communications from where the S.O.S. was broadcasted, just to name a few.

"This was once a small research center for The Bureau of our world," said one of the survivors, his name turned out to be Alec Parkman, "We had several such bases all over the world, including our main headquarters in New York City." Alec stood at 5'11", was about 23 years old, had short brown hair and light blue eyes.

"What happened to that one?" asked Laura. "Overrun by mutations," said one of the female agents, her name was Denise Yeager, "It's a long story, we'll save it for a little later." Denise was about 21 years old, stood at 5'4", had long dark brown hair and lavender colored eyes.

Denise was the woman who told Max and the others that humans were on the way to extinction on this world. She spoke the truth; there were less than three hundred men, women and children in the base, the grand total of humans left alive and sane on the planet.

"Okay," said Steve, "You've shown us your base and introduced us to your people. Now tell us; how the f#ck did this happen?"

"I can answer that," said a man in a tattered white lab coat. He was about 32 years old, stood at 5'8", black, graying hair and very pale brown eyes. "I'm Dr. Ike Ozman, I was the head scientist for our Bureau, until the mist came. It started about ten years ago with random pockets of the mist appearing in isolated areas of the world; deserts, polar ice caps, out in the middle of the ocean. It wasn't until the mutations started attacking people did The Bureau take action. By then the chaos had a foothold in our world and it wasn't eager to let go.

"It wasn't long before the rest of the world realized that it was in mortal danger. That's the funny thing, it took a global threat to convince people to stop fighting each other and start working together. And for a while we were able to hold back the mutations. Then the ammunition began to run out. One by one the major cities fell to the mist, each city fueling the hoards of chaos until the mist covered the entire planet.

"That's when those who were still alive and sane went underground, for real. We've been fighting to survive underground for over seven years now. There were thousands of underground bases like this one across the globe. Now there's only one."

"And soon there won't be any," said Alec, "The mist had polluted nearly all the soil and fresh water on the planet. Nothing grown in the ground is safe to eat. We get our water from an underground reservoir, one that's nearly depleted. Our food all comes in cans, and that's all but gone. We're nearly out of ammo to defend ourselves from the mutations. If the creatures ever find us, our defenses won't last for long."

"Even if they don't attack," said Denise, "We won't last much longer. If the lack of food and fresh water doesn't kill us, if we're not slaughtered by the mutations, we're doomed anyway. There's not enough humans left to maintain a healthy gene pool. We estimate that this world will be devoid of humans in less than five years at the rate we're being killed."

"But if we're doomed to die," said the head Bureau agent, who's name was Brian Phillips, "We won't be going out without saying the last word. We've got a plan to take every last mutation on the planet with us. We're gonna destroy planet Earth."

"You're going to do what?" asked D.P. "You heard the man," said Brian, "We're gonna blow up the planet."

"Look, Brian," said Max, "I realize you people have had it rough, a lot more than rough. But that's no reason to just give up hope." "We lost hope a long time ago," said Brian, "Believe me, this is our final resort."

"But we've got the rift," said Jill, "You don't have to die, you can come to our world." This gave Brian and his people something to think about. "You're serious," said Alec, "I mean we're all prepared to die and the device is almost finished."

"What device?" asked Michael. "Our doomsday bomb," said Denise, "We've got a guy who designed and is building a bomb powerful enough to reduce this miserable hunk of rock to space dust."

"I'd like to see that," said Steve, "I'm not the smartest apple in the barrel, but I know it takes a lot to destroy a planet."

"We'll introduce you to our guy," said Alec, "In the meantime let's talk about coming to your world."

They were shown to one of the old research labs where several technicians were putting the finishing touches on a large mechanical device that hummed loudly and pulsed with green light. Attached to the device was a computer terminal. And typing at that terminal was a man in his mid twenties with shaggy brown hair. He paused to check his watch before continuing to type.

"Hey, Andrew!" shouted Alec over the humming of the device, "We've got visitors!" The man turned around. He had dark brown eyes and wore glasses. He was badly in need of a shave, yet Max and Jill knew that face anywhere. It was impossible, it just couldn't be true, yet there he was, Andrew Carpenter, founding member of The Ramblers, explosives expert and lover of Jill.

The end of chapter 7. Next chapter our heroes find out just what happened to Andrew and how he got here. Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you next time!


	8. Chapter 8: Reunion

Last time our heroes learned that the parallel Earth was doomed. There weren't enough people left alive and sane to carry on the species, so they decided to end it before the mutations did. Max and the others were then introduced to the designer of the doomsday device, someone Max and Jill were all too familiar with. On with the show!

Chapter 8: Reunion

They were shown to one of the old research labs where several technicians were putting the finishing touches on a large mechanical device that hummed loudly and pulsed with green light. Attached to the device was a computer terminal. And typing at that terminal was a man in his mid twenties with shaggy brown hair. He paused to check his watch before continuing to type.

"Hey, Andrew!" shouted Alec over the humming of the device, "We've got visitors!" The man turned around. He had dark brown eyes and wore glasses. He was badly in need of a shave, yet Max and Jill knew that face anywhere. It was impossible, it just couldn't be true, yet there he was, Andrew Carpenter, founding member of The Ramblers, explosives expert and lover of Jill.

Andrew stared at the newcomers, his eyes not believing what he saw; Bureau agents from his world. Then he realized that one of the newcomers was someone he knew all too well. "Max Kildare," said Andrew, his voice carrying a Baltimore accent, "You lousy, no good, dirty son-of-a-bitch!"

Before anyone could say or do anything Andrew had reached inside his tattered Bureau jacket, pulled out a really large pistol, released the safety, aimed at Max's head and pulled the trigger.

Max saw the bullet coming and tried to side step out of its path. However he was less than thirty feet away from Andrew, and the ammo that he used was faster than an average automatic-pistol fired. Seeing that he couldn't get out of the way in time Max raised his arm to shield his head. The bullet impacted in his upper left arm and lodged itself near his shoulder.

"What the f#ck!" exclaimed Steve as he and D.P. aimed their pistols at Andrew. Michael had charged up his energy swords while Tyler reactivated his armor.

"It's alright," said Max as he clutched at his violated arm, "I'm fine, I should have expected that anyway." Being the Meta-Human Max was there was very little bleeding. In fact, Max was able to pull the bullet out of his arm. The wound began to head almost instantly. "And quite frankly," said Max, "I did deserve it."

"You damn well deserved it!" exclaimed Andrew, "It's all you fault! You're responsible for what happened to me!"

"It's not my fault you get sweaty palms!" said Max, "I tried to hold on but I lost my grip! We thought you were dead."

"Well I'm not," spat Andrew, "And I should have died, many times after what I've been through. But I'm still here, no thanks to you!"

"Wait a second," said Steve, "You're Andrew Carpenter? Founding member of the team? Jill's boyfriend?"

"Yes," said Andrew, "To all three. How is Jill anyway?"

"I'm right here, Andrew," said Jill, "I keep telling you that you need to keep your glasses clean."

Andrew wiped the grime off his glasses and realized who was talking to him. "Jill? Is it really you?"

"Who do you think it is?" said Jill, who was on the verge of joyful tears, "I thought I would never see you again."

"I thought I was gonna die and never gaze into your eyes again," said Andrew, "I thought I'd never touch your perfect skin or run my fingers through your silky hair."

"You always did have a way with words," said Jill as she closed the distance between herself and Andrew, "I missed your lack of fear, your dedication to the task at hand, even your obsession with time. But what I missed the most was your lips on mine."

"I hate to interrupt the tenderness," said Michael, "If you are Andrew Carpenter, how did you escape that thinny you were pulled into on Halloween night, 2004?"

"I'd like to know that as well," said Jill.

"I'll tell you how I got here," said Andrew, "But I want to know all that's happed while I was gone. Is Leon still alive?"

"Alive and sticking needles in little dolls," said Max.

"What about that crazy girl, Fay Valentine?" asked Andrew, "and Ken Somerset? And what about Virgil? Is he still blind?"

"Virgil has these metal eyes that work better than real ones," said Max, "But they blow up every now and then. As for Fay and Ken, Ken died in the line of duty last summer. Fay also died, but we brought her back. Jill's step-daughter carried Fay's soul in her head while we cloned her a new body."

"Who-did-the-what-now?" asked Andrew, "You adopted someone?"

"Three kids actually," said Jill, "You can meet them when we get home."

"First thing's first," said Max, "We get the rest of the team over here and plan how we're gonna evacuate the survivors of this world." Two hours later Leon, Fay, Julie and the others had arrived at the underground base.

Virgil and Fay, having been with the team for a while, remembered Andrew, as did Laura. "We really thought you were dead," said Virgil, "How did you survive that thinny?"

"Well," said Andrew, "It all started Halloween night, 2004. We were going after Cthulhu worshipers who had kidnapped and were preparing to sacrifice a powerful young telekinetic girl; Laura. Virgil and Jill were escorting Laura to a safe extraction point when the cultists ambushed their car. They knocked Jill out, burned out Virgil's eyes and took Laura.

"The rest up until my disappearance from my world of reality was history: The rest of the team rescued Laura from being sacrificed. We tracked the cultists to their secondary base, where Laura realized that her best friend was part of the cult and had betrayed her. She lost her cool and opened up a thinny. I don't blame you, Laura, what's done is done."

"I appreciate that," said Laura, "I've been fretting on and off over that night for a long time."

"Anyway," continued Andrew, "These blue tentacle-things appeared out of the thinny and started grabbing anything alive. One got a hold of my leg and started to drag me into the rupture. Max grabbed hold of my hand and tried to pull me back. Naturally he let go of my hand and was dragged into the thinny."

"I said you had sweaty palms that night!" said Max, "I'm sorry I lost my grip! What more do you want from me?"

"I want you to let me finish," said Andrew, "Where was I? Oh yes, I found myself in infinite darkness. All around me I could hear the cries of terror of the cultists who were dragged in with me as the nameless horrors of Todash Space devoured them.

"I had two full clips of ammo for my gun with me, plus half a clip already in my gun. I started shooting all around me. It didn't matter where I aimed, the monsters had me completely surrounded. Every shot I fired killed a creature, yet more and more kept coming.

"When I loaded my last clip I was convinced that I was going to die. I thought, _'my gun had fifteen shots per clip. I'll kill fourteen more of these f#ck#rs and save the last shot for me.'_ Then I saw a light in the darkness. I didn't know what it was, but anything was better than staying here and getting my head chewed off. I ran for the light, shooting blindly at the monsters. I still got some decent kills in, there were so many of them chasing me I couldn't miss.

"Finally I reached the light and jumped for it. It turned out to be another thinny, one that was about to close on it's own. I jump through the opening just as it sealed up. My elation of escaping the darkness quickly faded as I took stock of my situation. I had no food, no supplies, no means of communicating with my dimension and only two bullets left.

"Things got from bad to worse as I found out just how bad things were here. I eventually made contact with what was left of The Bureau in this world. By then it was too late to do anything to improve the situation. As you've seen, this world is doomed, one-way or another. So Brian and I came up with the plan to have the last word with the mutations. We'd destroy the planet ourselves, taking the monsters with us. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a doomsday bomb to finish."

"So that's it?" said Sally-Ann, "We find that you're still alive and you're still gonna kill yourself? That's just f#ck#d up!"

"You always never agreed with my methods, Sally-Ann," said Andrew.

"I thought they were cousins," said Shawn.

"They are," said Julie, "Just not close cousins."

"Andrew," said Jill, "I know you've been through a lot, more than a lot. You've experienced something nobody should have to go through. But that's no excuse to just commit suicide. We can evacuate the survivors to our world, including you. I'm sure Director Walker would be more than happy to let you work at The Bureau again. And _we_ can go back to like it was before."

"Since when has Patty Walker been in charge of The Bureau?" asked Andrew.

"She just took over," said Jill, "I'll tell you all about it when we're home."

"I'd love to hear every detail," said Andrew, "But you know that once I've started a project, I have to finish it. I must finish it, it's the way I am."

"I know," said Jill as she stood between Andrew and the computer terminal, "But this is one project you're gonna have to walk away from."

"Get out of my way, Jill," said Andrew, "You know I love you, but I won't my feelings for you to interfere with my work."

"If your work is more important then our love," said Jill as she drew her cutlass and pointed it at Andrew, "Then perhaps we need more time apart to work things out."

"Get that sword out of my face!" snapped Andrew, "I've got to see this to the end. We can talk once I've finished the bomb, not one second before."

"We'll talk now," said Jill, "So just calm down."

"I won't ask you again, Jill!" snapped Andrew, "Get that damn sword out of my face!" Quick as lightning Andrew slapped the cutlass out of Jill's hands, then slapped her across the face.

"You bastard!" exclaimed Jill as she felt her face to see if it was bleeding or not. Her expression quickly changed from one of disgust to a look of lustful passion, "I've forgotten how fast your hands were."

Jill displayed her own speed by flinging her arms around Andrew's neck and thrusting her lips against his. Andrew was slightly taken aback, but for only a quarter of a second as he embraced his long lost love.

Years of loneliness and hundreds of hopeless days melted away as his mind flashed back to that last passionate night with Jill in October 2004, the night he decided he was going to ask his love to marry him. That night before Halloween when all was right in the world and everything in his life was going the way he wanted; that one final night when he was hers and she was his.

They finally broke the kiss, only for some much needed oxygen. "I suppose the bomb can wait," said Andrew, "There are more important things than doomsday weapons, like some much needed catching up to-ness, thing, let's just go somewhere where we can be alone."

"Yes," said Jill eagerly, "Oh yes, I'm so there! But one thing to do first before we get to know each other again; you, mister, need a shave." Andrew ran his hand over his face, feeling the stubble of several day's growth of beard.

"When you're right," said Andrew, "You're right." They left the lab for Andrew's much needed shave, then some alone time.

"Well," said Leon, "Who didn't see that one coming?" Only D.P. raised his hand. "I didn't see that coming," he said.

"You didn't know?" asked Steve, "I thought everyone knew those two were together."

"We'll talk about team members recreational habits later," said Laura, "Right now we've got a planet to evacuate."

The end of chapter 8. Next chapter our heroes plan out how they're going to save the survivors. But not all plans go as one expects them to. Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you next time!


	9. Chapter 9: Plans Within Plans pt1

Last time it was confirmed that Andrew Carpenter is alive and inventing bombs, a doomsday device to be exact. After hearing of his tale of surviving the thinny that took him away from his home, friends and loved ones, he and Jill had an argument about the fate of the bomb. Said argument soon turned into a passionate kiss. They left the area for some much needed alone time. On with the show!

Chapter 9: Plans Within Plans part 1

"So now what do we do?" asked Julie, "I mean what do we do until Andrew and Jill are finished with each other?" "I've got the feeling they're gonna be at each other for a while," said Leon, "They've got a lot of catching up to do."

"I know what I'm gonna do," said Virgil, "I'm gonna have a look at Andrew's doomsday bomb."

"I'll join you," said Violet, "I'm curious about how he did it."

Shortly later Laura had addressed the survivors, all 283 of them. "We can evacuate all of you to our world," she said, "A world where you can live without constant fear of death. A world of freedom and happiness."

"This all seems too good to be true," said Brian, "We've suffered so much, but how can we know you can be trusted?"

"Your suffering is at an end," said Aaron, "Believe me. Come back with us and you'll never have to worry about demons or mutating mists again."

"I don't know about the rest of you," said Alec, "But I'm tired of this used up husk of a planet. I say we bail and get the f#ck out while we can."

"I'm with you," said Denise, "I want to be able to go outside and breathe the fresh air without worrying about mutating into a homicidal lunatic. I want to see the stars and the sun again without the haze of the mist. I want to live!"

"You ungrateful bastards," said Brian, "Have you forgotten so quickly? It was me that kept us together throughout the chaos. It was me who allowed us few humans to survive for so long."

"You call this surviving?" asked Denise, "Before Max and his people arrived we on the way out. Dr. Ozman. said we'd all be dead in less than five years and I believe him. I say we get out of this ruined world while we can."

"You'll never make it to the rift," said Brian, "There's too many mutations out there, hungry for our blood. You'll all die before you get to this so-called world of safety. Stay here and you have a chance to stay alive."

"That's a crock of sh$t and you know it!" exclaimed Alec, "You would have had us all die when that bomb you're building goes off. I want to see sports and shopping malls again! I want to walk in the open without constantly looking over my shoulder for mutants out to get me! I want to live in a world where I can be happy! I want to live!"

This caused most of the survivors to start shouting "I want to live! I want to live!" over and over again.

"Majority rules, Brian," said Dr. Ozman, "We're leaving."

"It appears my leadership is no longer valued," said Brian, "So be it. But remember, when you're out there in the mist and the mutations are just inches from ripping you to shreds, don't come crawling back to me!" With that he and about half a dozen of the survivors left the area.

"Now we're down to 276," said Dr. Ozman, "But we're better off without Brian and his crew. Everyone start packing! We're leaving this dimension for good!"

While everyone was packing, Steve, Fay and Michael had a few questions to ask of Alec and Denise. "You're like us," said Fay, "Meta-Humans."

"How can you tell?" asked Denise.

"I can sense other people like us," said Michael, "People who's DNA is more advanced than the rest of the world."

"So what's your abilities?" asked Steve, "I'm super strong, Fay and Michael are super agile and fast, but what about you two?"

"Oh, I can become invisible," said Alec. He proved his powers by disappearing for a few seconds, then reappearing next to Steve, scaring him real bad. "I was studying to be an archeologist. I almost gave up my studies, but now that we're going to a new Earth, I might just finish what I started

"As for me," said Denise as she lifted a 1,500 lb piece of equipment with just one hand, "I'm super strong. Care to arm-wrestle?"

"You bet!" exclaimed Steve. And so they arm-wrestled; with Steve winning after a fifteen minute stalemate.

"I can't remember the last time a man or anyone beat me at arm-wrestling," said Denise, "You've got game."

"So do you," said Steve who couldn't take his eyes off of her.

"It's official," said Fay, "Steve's finally found Miss Right."

"It's a sign of the apocalypse," said D.P., "Or something really bad.

Meanwhile Virgil and Violet were admiring Andrew's weapon of massive mass destruction. "This doomsday bomb is a real work of art," said Virgil, "I mean Andrew built this monstrosity of a device without the assistance of any factories, he did it with his bare hands. It's a shame such mechanical genius was used for a dark purpose."

"I think I understand how the bomb will destroy this world," said Violet, "Instead of causing an explosion like a nuclear bomb, this bomb sends out massive waves of radiation that disrupts the forces that hold molecules together. When said force is disrupted, matter falls apart. This device has enough power to disrupt the energy that holds the planet together. I'd love to see it work, if only just to experience such an effect."

"Well today must be your lucky day," said Brian. There he stood with his running crew, all armed with high-powered machine guns. "You are gonna get a front row seat to see just what this baby can do."

To be continued. Next chapter we learn the extant of Brian's betrayal. Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you next time!


	10. Chapter 10: Plans Within Plans pt2

Last time our heroes convinced the survivors to evacuate their world. Brian, former leader of the survivors, disagreed, which is why he's the former leader. We then learned about the powers of Alec and Denise. As Violet and Virgil admired Andrew's doomsday project, the suddenly realized they had been betrayed. (Please note that some of the dialog in this story is inspired from the hit movie PULP FICTION, which I'm using without permission, so don't sue me, please!) On with the show!

Chapter 10: Plans Within Plans part 2

"Well today must be your lucky day," said Brian. There he stood with his running crew, all armed with high-powered machine guns. "You are gonna get a front row seat to see just what this baby can do."

"What is this?" asked Virgil as he and Violet were frisked and had their weapons removed, "I thought we were on the same side here."

"Oh you want me to think we're on the same side here," said Brian in a shaky tone, "But I saw through your deception. You we're just lulling us into a false sense of security while you showed the mutations to our base. You're trying to get us all killed!"

"You're crazy!" exclaimed Virgil, "We're trying to save your people!"

"Liar!" snapped Brian as he slapped Virgil across the face, "You're trying to ruin my master plan!"

"If destroying the world is your idea of a master plan," said Violet, "Then you must be crazy. Wait, of course, the mist! It's gotten to you somewhat. You've begun to lose your sanity."

"I'm perfectly sane, little girl," said Brian, "It's you outlanders who are crazy! Now, to finish this mess, you!" he shouted at two of his running crew, "Go fetch Dr. Ozman and his brats." The two men saluted and exited the lab.

"So Dr. Ozman is in on this as well," said Violet, "What did the two of you do, sign a suicide pact?"

"Not as such," said Brian, "I just need Ike to help me get the bomb ready to blow."

"Not gonna happen," said Virgil, "Andrew said it wasn't finished."

"Oh the actual bomb is finished," said Brian, "The machine is complete. All that is needed is to finish programming the onboard computer, which is why I need Dr. Ozman. He and Andrew are the only ones who know the program for the bomb. He also knows half of the arming code to activate it."

"And you have the other half," said Violet, "It's official, you're f#ck$ng nuts!"

"Keep yapping," said Brian, "And you won't live to see the bomb in action. Ah, here's Dr. Ozman and his loving family."

Brian's two goons shoved Dr. Ozman into the room, followed by two little girls with shoulder length brown hair and pale brown eyes, the first was about eight years old, the second about six and a half.

"What's this about, Brian?" asked Dr. Ozman, "I was just getting my children ready for the passage to the rift when your hooligans grabbed us."

"Forgive me for such rough treatment," said Brian, "but I need you to finish programming the bomb. I also need your half of the arming code." "You're crazy!" said Dr. Ozman, "I'm not giving you anything, not when we finally have a chance to live like human beings again!"

"I assumed as much," said Brian, "And I can also assume that threatening your life won't change your mind. Which is why I'm going to kill your precious children, Sara and Mary. That is, unless, you do as I say."

"No!" exclaimed Dr. Ozman, "Not my children! I'll do anything, just don't hurt them!"

"I knew you could be reasoned with," said Brian, "Now finish programming the bomb."

Dr. Ozman looked at his children with an expression that said he was sorry. He then began typing at the computer terminal.

"I don't get you, Brian" said Violet, "Why are you so anxious to die?"

"It's not about my death," said Brian, "It's about having the last word with the mutations that have ruined the world. This planet is already dead, I'm just putting it in it's grave."

"By sacrificing over 250 innocent people in the process?" asked Virgil, "The mist really has gotten to you. Look, come with us to our Earth, we'll do something to help you. I'm sure Aaron can come up with a treatment for the madness."

"I'm perfectly fine," said Brian, "I know exactly what I'm doing. How's it coming Ike?"

"I've just about finished programming the device," said Dr. Ozman, "Just a few more keystrokes… there, the bomb is ready for deployment."

"Good," said Brian, "Now enter your half of the arming code." At this Dr. Ozman hesitated. "Do it," said Brian as he aimed his gun at the children, "Do it or your bratty girls die before your eyes, right here, right now."

"You are so going to burn in Hell for this, Brian," spat Dr. Ozman as he entered a complex sequence into the computer, "I've done as you asked, now let my children go."

"I'm a man of my word," said Brian as he lowered his weapon. The girls ran to their father, tears running down their small faces as he embraced them.

"Now," said Brian with much glee in his voice, "To end this hypocrisy that is life." He then entered a second complex sequence into the computer and pressed ENTER. The machine began to hum louder and pulse brighter. "Yes!" exclaimed Brian, "It's finally over!"

Suddenly the pulsing stopped and the humming went quiet. "What is this!" exclaimed Brian as he banged away at the keyboard, "Why didn't it go off like it should have!?"

"Did you really think I would build a doomsday device and not put in a failsafe or two?" asked Andrew. He stood there at the door with Jill, a look of utter malice on his face. "Even with the programming complete and both half's of the arming code entered, the bomb won't go off without my final authorization, a retinal scan."

By now Max and the others had rushed into the room and disarmed Brian and his running crew. Laura and Julie had escorted Dr. Ozman and his children out of the lab.

"What now, cousin?" asked Sally-Ann as he kept the barrel of her shotgun trained on Brian's head, "What should we do with this deranged bastard?"

"I saw we kill these crazy mother-f#ck#rs," said Steve, "Then we get the f#ck out of here before anyone else loses it."

"For once," said Virgil, "I'm in complete agreement with you."

"I'll deal with Brian myself," said Andrew, "As for his men, throw them out the airlock, without protective gear."

"With pleasure," said Denise as she, Alec, Steve and Michael forced Brian's men out of the lab towards the airlock.

"As for you, Brian," said Andrew, "When we started this venture I told you I don't like it when people f#ck with me."

"Look man," said Brian, his voice starting to show just how scared he really was, "You've only seen a fraction of what this world has gone through. We were doomed from day one. I did what I did to so we as a species would have the last word. I admit what I did was a little selfish, but…"

CLICK!

Max and Jill both blinked at what Andrew had done. Apparently Andrew had had enough of Brian's self-centered babbling. He had drawn his huge 50 cal. hand cannon, the same gun he used earlier to shoot Max, and released the safety. The sound of such a loud click caused Brian to falter. If memories of Max and Jill were correct, Andrew only used this gun when he wanted to kill someone or something.

"Oh, I'm sorry," said Andrew in a tone that sounded like he was taking a walk in the park, "Did I just break your concentration? I really didn't mean to interrupt, so please continue. You had just admitted that what you did was a little selfish." Yet Brain was speechless as he stared at the huge gun in Andrew's hands.

"What's the matter?" asked Andrew, "Cat's got your tongue? Oh, you were finished. Well permit me to retort: What do I look like?"

"What?" asked Brian, not sure he heard Andrew correctly. Apparently this was the wrong thing to say, for Andrew's face grew serious as he threw a nearby table aside into the wall.

"What country are you from?" demanded Andrew.

"What?" asked Brian.

"'What' ain't no country I've ever heard of!" said Andrew, "Do they speak English in 'What?'"

"What?" asked Brian, his voice betraying more fear.

"English, mother-f#ck#r!" exclaimed Andrew, "Do you speak it?"

"Yes!" said Brian. "Then you know what I'm saying," said Andrew.

"Yes," said Brian.

"Then be so kind as to describe what I look like," said Andrew.

"What?" Brian asked again.

"Say what again," said Andrew as he aimed his gun at Brian's head, "Say what again! I dare you! I double-dare you, mother-f#ck#r! Say what one more g#d-damned time!"

"You're somewhat tall with brown hair," said Brian, his breath increasing with panic.

"Go on," said Andrew.

"You've got brown eyes and wear glasses!" said Brian.

"Do I look like a bitch?" asked Andrew.

"What?" asked Brian. He then realized his mistake, but not before Andrew used the butt of his gun to bash Brian's nose in.

Brian cried out in pain as Andrew asked again, "Do I look like a bitch?"

"No!" exclaimed Brian as he held his nose to try to slow down the blood flowing from his nostrils.

"Then why did you try to f#ck me like a bitch, Brian?" asked Andrew.

"I'd never," said Brian.

"Yes you did," said Andrew, "Yes you did, Brian! When we agreed to build the bomb I told you I didn't appreciated to be f#ck#d. But you did anyway. You tried to f#ck me, and I don't particularly like to be f#cked by anyone except a certain black-haired British lady."

This caused Jill to blush somewhat. "Tell me, Brian," said Andrew in a much calmer tone, "do you read the bible?"

"A little," said Brian, the pain in his nose beginning to lessen somewhat.

"I'm not all that religious myself," said Andrew, "But there's this one passage that sort of a family favorite. You know the one, Sally-Ann."

"I certainly do," said Sally-Ann, "Ezekiel 25:17. _'The path of the righteous is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyrannies of evil men.'"_

"That's the one," said Andrew, he then contented the verse, _"'blessed are they, who in the name of charity and good will, shepherd the weak through the valley of darkness, for they truly are their brothers' keepers and the finders of lost children.'"_

At this point Andrew's voice became more firm in strength and increased in volume, _"'and I shall strike thee down with great vengeance and furious anger, those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you shall know my name is the lord!'"_ he aimed his gun at Brian, _"'When I lay my vengeance upon thee!'"_

"NO!" shouted Brian as Andrew pulled the trigger. His last bullet left the barrel of the gun and entered Brian's head between the eyes. When the bullet left his head, the force of its impact took most of the head with it.

"Did you really have to kill him?" asked Violet.

"Yes," answered Andrew as he holstered his empty weapon.

"He got what he deserved," said Steve, "Andrew trusted Brian to do the right thing and Brian betrayed that trust. There is no greater sin than the betrayal of trust."

"For someone who isn't so smart," said Andrew, "That was very wise. Now let's not waste any more time, we have a world to evacuate."

The end of chapter 10. Next chapter our heroes carry out the plan to evacuate the survivors. Who makes it? Who dies? You'll just have to wait to find out. Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you next time!


	11. Chapter 11: Evacuation

Last time Virgil and Violet witnessed first hand just how crazy Brian was. He forced Dr. Ozman to complete the final preparations for the doomsday bomb. Brian then tried to set off the bomb, but it didn't go off. Andrew had installed a failsafe that will allow only him to activate the device. Andrew, realizing that his so-called friend was both insane and a betrayer, killed Brian. On with the show!

Chapter 11: Evacuation

Within the hour all 276 remaining survivors were ready to leave their used up husk of a world. "We're gonna be traveling through hostile territory," said Max as the last of the survivors donned their protective masks and clothing against the mist, "So everyone stay alert and above all, stay together. I promise you, nobody will be left behind if we can help it, but stay together. The enemy will have a harder time killing us if we're in a large group."

"I've got a business proposition for you two," said Leon to Alec and Denise as Max, Jill and Andrew begat he evacuation of the base, "How about the two of you sign up with us at our Bureau?"

"You mean we can join your team?" asked Denise, who couldn't stop looking at Steve, who was equally gazing back.

"I think I can get a few strings pulled to have you two made Ramblers," said Leon, "I'm sure Patty Walker would love to have new fish to whip into shape."

Ten minutes later our heroes and the survivors were well on their way to the rift. "I estimate that at this pace," said Virgil, "We'll reach the rift in 45 minutes, assuming the mutants don't attack first."

"That's not good enough," said Andrew as he checked his watch, "We need to all be on the other side of the rift in less than 35 minutes."

"What happens in 35 minutes?" asked Shawn.

"In 35 minutes," said Andrew, "This whole world will be reduced to dust by my doomsday device. I set a timer just before we left and deactivated all the failsafe protocols. Nothing can stop it now."

"And you're telling us this now!" exclaimed Jill, "Why the f#ck did you wait until now!" "You didn't ask," said Andrew as he checked his watch again, "We now have 34 minutes."

"Pick up the pace!" exclaimed Max. With that everyone began to run for the rift. Fortunately there were no elderly people lagging behind. As for the children, they were doing an okay job keeping up with the adults.

"I just realized something," said Violet, "When the bomb goes off, won't the destructive effect of the device also transfer into our world via the rift?"

"She's right," said Virgil, "The rift will act as a conduit between he two dimensions. When this world is destroyed, our world will suffer the after effects of the device."

Leon glared at Andrew, "Why didn't you see this coming?" he asked, "You're the bomb expert if I remember."

"I didn't factor in that our world and this one would be connected when the bomb goes off," said Andrew, "So excuse me."

"We'll just have to make sure the rift is closed when everyone is safe," said Violet.

"And how do you expect us to do that?" asked Tyler.

"Laura and Shawn," said Julie, "They can force it close."

"We can," said Shawn, "But we'll need to be on the other side to do it, and we'll need a few minutes to build up enough mental energy to do it."

"There's just one problem with that plan," said Laura, "At this rate, by the time we get there, we won't have enough time to build up or mojo."

"Then allow me the honor of carrying you," said Max. In one arm he grabbed Shawn; the other he grabbed Laura. Just like that, (Insert finger snapping sound) Max ran off for the rift. He was gone in the mist within nano-seconds.

"Everyone keep going," said Jill, "Nobody gonna get left behind!" Just then there was this terrible roar from behind and above the travelers, then what looked like huge bats and manta rays filled the mist shrouded skies, all swooping and screeching like they knew there was to be no tomorrow.

"Sweet meat on a Saturday!" exclaimed Sally-Ann as she shot at one of the bats, destroying it instantly, "What are these god-damned animals?!"

"Mutations," said Virgil as he blasted two manta rays with his laser eyes, "Like everything else in this world."

"They know," said Alec, "They know the world is about to end. They're desperate to get us."

"Well let's not give them any breaks," said Julie as she cocked her rifle and aimed at a bat, "If they want to kill us, they'll have to pay the price." She pulled the trigger and another bat mutation died.

It was then that Michael noticed that his motion sensors were beeping; at least 50 humanoid mutations was converging on them from the front. "We've got trouble, people," said Michael as he powered up his energy swords. The mutations were 100 yards in front of the group and closing fast.

"I've got this covered," said Fay as she unsheathed her knifes, "Steve, hook me up with a 'fastball special.'"

"Roger that!" exclaimed Steve. He picked Fay up and threw her into the oncoming mutations.

"What the f#ck kind of maneuver was that?" asked Andrew.

"You don't remember," said Jill, "Fay is a Manslayer, death is her art. By the time we get over to her, she'll have painted her latest masterpiece."

When Jill and the others had reached Fay, the survivors were shocked to find all the mutations dead from various slashes and lethal cuts from Fay's knifes. Fay was standing in the middle of the slaughter, her breath heavy with the effort of her latest massacre.

"You okay?" asked Julie.

"I'm more than okay, Julie," said Fay. She raised her arms, black mutated blood dripping from her blades as Fay shouted to the heavens, "I AM A SEXY, KNIFE WEILDING GODDESS OF WAR!"

"We're all proud of your newly found divinity, Fay," said Andrew as he checked his watch again, "But we're really short on time."

"And who's fault was that?" asked Michael, "You're the one who set the timer on the bomb."

"Now's not the time to play the blame game," said Jill, "We don't have time to waste time. We need to keep moving."

Eventually our heroes and the survivors made it to the rift without losing anyone. There were a few close calls, including one incident involving one of the huge bat creatures grabbing hold of a 7 year old boy and attempting to swoop off with it's prey. Julie and her rifle quickly shot down said bat, while Steve caught the kid without injury.

When our heroes reached the rift they saw Max and Shawn on their side of the rupture in time and space. Jill assumed that Laura had already gone through. "Everyone present and accounted for, Max," said Andrew, "And we have just over ten minutes to get everyone through."

"Excellent," said Max, "We'll start moving the survivors through the rift immediately. I suspect the mutations will try one last assault to get them. It's up to us to keep the creatures at bay until the survivors are safely through. We'll then close the rift and that'll be that."

"And just how are we going to close the rift?" asked Tyler as the survivors began to cross over into their new home.

"Laura is already on the other side," said Shawn, "When the survivors are all safely through, we'll both focus on the rift and close it with our minds. It'll take split second timing on my part if I want to avoid being trapped here and witness the end of this planet."

"If you're staying until the last minute," said Violet, "Then so am I; I'm not leaving you."

"I don't think so," said Jill, "You're going through the rift this minute."

"I'm staying with Shawn and that's that!" said Violet, "You never gave up on Andrew, and so why should I abandon the man I love? I won't."

"I could drag you to the other side," said Jill, "I could throw you through if I were so inclined."

The two women glared at each other, both of them convinced that she was right and the other was wrong, neither one willing to give ground on the subject. It was then that Andrew started to laugh. "What's so funny?" asked Leon.

"Forgive me," said Andrew, "It's just that Jill and Violet are more alike than they think they are. Both share the same level of stubbornness and determination, among other positive qualities."

"Look, Jill," said Shawn, "I would die before I would allow anything to happen to Violet. I can assure you, we'll get through the rift before it closes."

"And if you don't make it through in time," said Jill, "If you're trapped on this world in it's final minutes of existence, what them?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it," said Andrew as he checked his watch yet again, "Six minutes to the bomb."

By this time over half the survivors had made it to the other side of the rift. "Something's not right with this picture," said Max, "The mutations should have attacked by now." "I agree," said Michael, "It's way too quiet for my taste. Either the mutations have given up or they're planning something really big."

The later turned out to be true. The mist seemed to clear somewhat, only to allow our heroes to see something huge heading directly for them. The creature had distinct features that resembled a gorilla, one with two pairs of arms ending in insect claws, ten eyes in it's head and stood over 70 feet tall.

"I've seen some pretty disturbing things in my time," said Leon, "But that is one ugly mother-f#ck#r!"

"Anybody got any ideas on how to kill this thing?" asked Steve as the monstrous gorilla closed in on the survivors, "'cause I'm all out of ideas."

"I've got one," said Tyler, "Just hang lose and leave it to me." From one of the compartments of Tyler's armor came a huge laser. He aimed at the gorilla's head and fired.

There was no colored light from the laser. Instead the head of the mutation seemed to expand and bubble, like it was being boiled from the inside. Seconds later the head of the creature exploded.

"What was that?" asked Julie.

"This new toy of mine," said Tyler, "Fires a highly concentrated burst of microwave radiation. In layman's terms, I nuked the creature."

"Well," said Michael, "It's a better than 'liquidating' it,"

"If that was a pun," said Virgil, "It was so funny I forgot to laugh."

"Laugh later," said Andrew, "We're down to three minutes." Fortunately, all the survivors had been evacuated through the rift by then.

"That's everyone," said Max, "Laura, Shawn, do your stuff!" With that Shawn began to focus his mental energy on the rift, while on the other side Laura did the same. Yet the rift remained the same.

"Why isn't it closing?" asked Michael, who just happened to be on the other side of the rift with Leon, Julie, Tyler and the others. Only Shawn, Violet, Andrew and Jill remained on the doomed Earth.

"I don't know," said Virgil as he checked his laptop, "It should be shrinking to nothing by now."

"Something's wrong," said Jill, "Why is it still open?"

"I'm working on it," said Shawn as he fought the strain of his efforts, "Just give me a second."

"You don't have many seconds left," said Andrew, "So get to it already!"

"What's taking so long!" Leon demanded of Laura, "Why is the rift still open?"

"This isn't as easy as sewing a torn shirt," said Laura, who was also suffering tremendous stress, "Making rifts in the fabric of reality is easy, closing them is much harder."

"How much time left?" asked Jill.

"Less than one minute," said Andrew, "Well, we tried, that's got to count for something.

"If I'm going to have my molecules ripped apart," said Jill, "I rather have it done with you at my side."

"You can worry about dieing later," said Violet, "It's closing!" Indeed the rift was shrinking, while Shawn had nearly fainted from the amount of energy expended. "Go! Go! Go!" exclaimed Jill. Andrew had grabbed Shawn and Violet and tossed them through the rift. To Jill that she went first, so she jumped through the shrinking rift.

Andrew was about to jump through the rift as well when he paused. He turned around for one last look at the used up scrap of rock in space that he was forced to live on for over three years. He checked his watch; ten seconds to go, and stepped through the rift just before it became too small for him. It closed five seconds later.

Four seconds later the device activated and sent out it's deadly waves of radiation across the planet. Within minutes matter began to fall apart. Everything that was alive on the planet died almost instantly as their bodies ceased to function and disintegrated. It wasn't long before the entire planet could no longer hold it's shape. What was once a bright blue and green sphere floating in space, what was so wrongfully transformed into a mist shrouded nightmare of it's former self, was soon reduced to a cloud of ash and dust floating in the vacuum of the cosmos.

The end of chapter 11. Next chapter everything comes together as a few lose ends are tied up. Also, we finally find out what Sunny's Meta-Human power is. Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you next time!


	12. Chapter 12: Overdue Engagement

Last time our heroes successfully evacuated the survivors of the parallel Earth. There were more than a few close calls, but nobody got left behind. Things were more than a little tense since Andrew announced that his doomsday device was about to activate. Yet all turned out okay as Shawn and Laura closed the rift joining the two Earths, just before the device destroyed the ruined world. On with the show!

Chapter 12: Overdue Engagement

It would be determined later that lightning was responsible for the whole mess. "There was a freak electrical storm," said Virgil, "Just after the lab signaled their success, the power generators for the lab were struck by a bolt of lightning. There was a power surge and the small opening in reality was forced open, allowing the mist to enter our world."

"If the mist came in when the rift was expanded by the power surge," said Julie, "Why did it stop when we killed power to the lab equipment?"

"We may never know for sure," said Virgil, "But what I think, and this is just my thoughts, is that the mist was a living organism, the whole f#ck$ng thing was alive. My guess was that it fed on the energy produced by living creatures: Humans, animals, plants, you get the picture. In exchange for taking the energy the mist gave part of itself back, causing the mutations. As to why the mist stopped coming into our world when it did, my only theory is that it needed a big enough hole in reality to crossover."

"There's still the question as to where the mist first came from," said Tyler, "None of the survivors knew the source of it. Nobody knows exactly the first appearance of it or when it started."

"I guess we'll never know," said Shawn, "But what matters is that we saved all those who could be saved. Our world is safe from the mist, for the moment."

"Yes," said Michael, "But if it does come back, we'll be ready for it." There were nods of agreement from his fellow Ramblers.

That would be the end of the story, but there are still a few more points to get across.

Within hours of their arrival on their new home Alec and Denise were instated as Ramblers. Patty Walker was more than happy to accept them to the team.

Andrew was re-instated as part of the team. He said it wasn't necessary because he was never dead. Patty said it was because he was listed as Missing In Action, and therefore taken off the list of active team members.

After he was re-initiated as a Rambler, Andrew did something that was a total surprise to his friends and teammates. "I've been through Hell and worse since I've been gone," he said as he addressed The Bureau at his initiation ceremony, "And there were more than a few times when I could have given up on life. When the thinny spat me out onto that mist-shrouded hellhole, I had only two bullets left for my hand cannon. I decided to keep one for myself, just in case I was in a situation where I had absolutely no chance of escaping alive. 'Better to kill myself than allow the mutations to eat me alive, or lose my sanity to the mist,' I thought at the time. The second bullet I saved for one reason, a reason that was half of what kept me going; Revenge.

"I blamed Max for allowing me to be dragged into the thinny that Halloween night. I blamed Max for separating me from all that I held dear, including a very special lady that I cared more for than I had ever cared for anything in my life."

At that statement Jill blushed somewhat. "I saved that bullet," continued Andrew, That if I ever saw Max again, if for some random chance he'd end up where I was, I'd shoot him. And I did. Fortunately I had forgotten just how tough a son-of-a-bitch Max is, otherwise he wouldn't be here lessening to me make a fool of myself."

This caused a roar of laughter from the assembled agents. "Revenge was half of what kept me going," said Andrew, "The other half was hope; hope that I would find my way back home to my Earth. Hope that I would be back here in The Bureau, where I have truly felt alive and useful. Hope that I would be reunited with my friends and teammates, But most of all, hope that I would be with the woman I loved, Jill."

It was then that Klaus activated a ceiling mounted spotlight and shone it on Jill. Just before the initiation, Andrew had talked to Violet and Klaus and told him of what he was going to say and do for his speech. Among the assembled agents Violet grinned widely and gave Andrew the thumbs up, encouraging him to say and do what he had waited for so long for.

"You are my beacon of hope, Jill," said Andrew as he made his way towards Jill. The assembled agents backed away to give the two young lovers room. "You are my light in the darkness. My time on that hell of a planet taught me one important thing; you complete me. Without you I am nothing, that only when we're together that the world seems to make sense, that life is worth living, and I hope you feel the same about me."

"You damn right I feel the same," said Jill, "My life was empty until we met. I was without purpose and direction. All that changed when you wandered into my life. But when you were taken away from me that terrible Halloween night almost four years ago, I felt that my heart was ripped out of my chest and shoved back in upside down. I thought I would never love again, but that's all water under the bridge now that you're back."

"My teeth are rotting from all the sugar in the air," whispered Michael. "This situation is so sweet," said Julie, "I feel like I'm about to throw up." "Shut up!" hissed Laura, "This is the important part."

"What happened to us was more than terrible," said Andrew, "Nobody should ever be separated from the ones they love. We may have no control over what happens to us in life, or at least not enough control, but we do what we can. I found my friends again, or rather they found me."

Another round of laughter before Andrew continued, "They say that love is what makes the world go round, and I couldn't agree more. Jill, you make my world go round. I want to be with you until the day I die, and there's only one thing that can make that true."

He took hold of Jill's hand and bent down to one knee. "Jill," said Andrew as he brought a small black box out of his pocket, "I've been wanting to ask you this question for a long time now. I've had this in my pocket the night I was dragged into the thinny. I've kept it safe since then, and now it's time to use it. Jill," he opened the box to reveal a silver ring with a good-sized diamond in it, "Will you marry me?"

Tears of absolute joy fell from her eyes as Jill responded, "Yes! Yes! Abso-f#ck$ng-lutely! Yes!" Andrew then placed the ring on Jill's finger; it was a perfect fit. The room then exploded in applause and cheers of congratulations.

"I guess love does conquer all," said Fay as she waited for her turn to wish the newly engaged couple wellness and good luck, "My only concern is when will I find it."

"Perhaps you're looking for it in the wrong places," said Julie, "I know I am." It was then that Julie and Fay looked at each other as if discovering the other for the first time. They didn't get the chance to act on their newly discovered feelings when Maria Van Helsing entered the room.

"Sorry I'm late," said Maria in her light German accent, "There was a huge outbreak of demonic possessions in Guatemala. What did I miss?"

"Nothing much," said Max, annoyed again at Maria's lack of punctuality, "Just that Andrew Carpenter is alive, back among us, and he just proposed to Jill."

"I just had a great idea!" exclaimed Violet, "Maria can do the ceremony for Andrew and Jill.

This caused a look of nervousness to break out on Maria's face, "I don't think that's such a good idea."

"Why not?" asked Shawn, "I'm sure you'd do a great job."

"I wouldn't be too sure of that," said Maria, "I've never married anyone. I'm an exorcist first and foremost."

"But you are an ordained minister," said Max who was enjoying somewhat the sight of Maria being nervous, "Therefore you can marry people."

"I thought that women couldn't be Catholic priests," said Steve. "It's amazing what can be done online," said D.P.

Eventually the others convinced Maria to perform the ceremony, and eventually Andrew and Jill would get married, but that's another story.

We're almost done, just one more point to get across, so hang in there!

Violet returned to the brownstone apartment building where she and her siblings had been living with Jill. _"We'll have to expand the apartment,"_ she thought, _"Or move into a bigger place when Andrew moves in."_

Despite nearly being killed by the mutations, despite nearly being trapped on the parallel Earth just before it's destruction, Violet was happy. Her life was finally coming together. She had a loving, caring boyfriend, the perfect job for her talents, dozens of friends who were always there to help her, a guardian who actually knew what she was doing, and to top that, soon a stepfather. It seemed that she would have a proper family before long.

Klaus was still at The Bureau, while Sunny was at home with several Bureau Agents making sure nothing happened to her. After seeing the agents out Violet went to talk with her sister.

Sunny looked like any ordinary three-year old girl, except she had almost all her baby teeth by now, all of them sharper than normal. Sunny had also developed incredible strength in her jaws. "I'm no dentist," Aaron said a few weeks back, "But my guess is that by the time Sunny has all her adult teeth, she'll be able to chew raw iron and spit out nails."

Sunny had also developed the ability to speak almost overnight. Yet despite her sudden mastery of the English language, Sunny still had a deep connection with her brother and sister.

Violet saw that Sunny was drawing again. Aside from bighting, Sunny's talent lay in drawing. With just a box of crayons and a sheet of paper Sunny could draw masterpieces. Jill's office at The Bureau was decorated with several of Sunny's pictures, some of them really good portraits of Bureau members.

"How was your trip to another Earth?" asked Sunny, not taking her attention from her drawing.

"It was alright," said Violet, "We ended up destroying the planet, but saved the survivors. But one really good thing happened: Jill's boyfriend Andrew, we found him and now he's back. The best part is that Andrew just asked Jill to marry him."

"And she said yes," said Sunny, "Naturally."

"You know, Sunny," said Violet, "After all that we've been through at the hands of Olaf, I thought we'd never have a normal life again. We still don't have a normal life, but at least it's a happy one. What are you drawing anyway?"

"You can't see this one yet," said Sunny as she shielded the paper with her small body, "It's not done yet. But fell free to see what I've been doing while you were out." She pointed to a good-sized stack of drawings, "Look at the ones on the bottom first, you'll like them better if you do it that way."

Not really understanding what Sunny was implying, Violet picked up the pictures and looked at the one on the bottom. It was a drawing of her, Shawn, Virgil, Steve and Jill. They were in the testing area of the Bureau, and in the background of the picture was a near perfect drawing of the GKX-101, with Klaus in the cockpit. Everyone in the picture was smiling.

"_Someone must have told Sunny about the success of Goliath,"_ thought Violet. The next picture started to change that thought. It was a drawing of the briefing room. Violet and the other Ramblers sat exactly where they were during the briefing before the mission. And there was Patty Walker at the head of the table.

The next picture showed The Rambles again on the plane to the observation site outside the mist. The picture showed an angry Virgil and Fay about to kiss him. Then there was a drawing of The Ramblers standing before the wall of mist. Then there was one with Julie being dragged by the mutated bear. There was a picture of Michael deactivating the power that was keeping the rift so big.

All in all the drawings were records of the mission, ending with Andrew proposing to Jill. "This is beyond belief," said Violet, "When did you draw these?"

"Now and then," said Sunny, "Check the dates on them, you'll see."

Violet saw that Sunny had dated each picture, along with a time reference. Each picture was drawn exactly 24 hours before the events in them happened. "Sunny," said Violet, her voice shaky with the full truth of the matter, "I think I know what you're Meta-Human ability is; I think you can draw the future."

The end.

Didn't see that one coming did you? Well anyway, I hope you've enjoyed reading this story as much as I've enjoyed writing it. Until the next idea that pops into my head…

AndrewK9000


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